How Do Birds Sleep During Migration?

Migratory birds, such as the frigate bird, undertake long-distance journeys where sleep becomes a critical challenge. Frigate birds can sleep while flying, a behavior observed through EEG studies, revealing their use of uni-hemispheric slow-wave sleep. This allows one brain hemisphere to rest while the other stays alert, often keeping one eye open to monitor the environment. Despite sleeping during migration, frigate birds spend less than 3% of their time in sleep, preferring to stay awake. They recover lost sleep once they reach land. REM sleep, crucial for all vertebrates, is significantly shorter during flight, lasting only seconds. Different migratory birds have diverse sleep strategies, from brief naps to minimal sleep, making their behavior a fascinating subject for researchers.

#sleep #birds #migration

References:
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12468
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2016.0082
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.07...
https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.conb.2017...

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